PM Transcripts

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PRIME MINISTER
FOR MEDIA 26 FEBRUARY 1990
I welcome and applaud the decision of the New Zealand
Government to set aside ratification of the Antarctic
Minerals Convention and work with Australia to protect
Antarctica from mining.
As one of the seven Claimant States, New Zealand is a key
party to the Antarctic Treaty. Mr Palmer's decision to
set aside ratifying the Minerals Convention ( known as the
Wellington Convention) will give even greater impetus to
Australia's efforts with France to create an Antarctic
Wilderness Reserve a Land of Science.
Mr Palmer and I discussed this possibility during my
recent visit to New Zealand.
Last Saturday, Commander Jacques Cousteau and I discussed
the increasing international support snowballing
support that Australia and France have been getting for
our proposal to create an Antarctic Wilderness Reserve.
Other European countries such as Italy, Belgium and
Greece are comining in behind us. Soviet Prime Minister
Ryzhkov expressed a keen interest in our proposal when I
met him in Canberra in mid-February. And Judging from
developments in the Congress, the United States appears
increasingly unlikely to ratify the Convention.
Our push for a Wilderness Reserve is looking very strong
indeed. With New Zealand's support, we can look forward
with even greater optimism to keeping Antarctica free
from mining.
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